Now You See Me
by arisapphyre
Summary: "Why am I the only one who can see you?" Languidly, his lips stretch into a humorless smile. His dark eyes lock on hers, his gaze deep and filled with sorrow. "Because, you're the only one who can break my curse."
1. Chapter 1

**A/N** : Hey guys! This is just another story I've been working on. I started writing this after I noticed the great response I got for my first fic. (I loved each and every one of the reviews, alerts, faves and PMs- everyone was super awesome!)

So, without further ado, here's my second story :)

 **Summary** : "Why am I the only one who can see you?" Languidly, his lips stretch into a humorless smile. His dark eyes lock on hers, his gaze deep and filled with sorrow. "Because, you're the only one who can break my curse." NaLu Modern AU

 **Warnings** : Language, Romance, Supernatural, Humor, Modern AU, Justified OOCness, NaLu, JudeXLayla.

 **Disclaimer** : I own nothing. Nada. Zip. Even the wifi I'm using to post this story isn't mine.

* * *

Lucy is nine when she first sees the strange man with pink hair.

She is taking a walk with her mother when she spots him. The two of them are strolling through the deeper parts of the estate, with several maids a few steps behind them should they need anything.

"Who is that?" She asks, pointing a finger at the stranger. He's seated on an old bench, hidden behind a staggered collection of aged, towering pines. His back is facing them, and had it not been for his strikingly bright hair, Lucy would have missed him completely.

Her mother, Layla, stares at the general direction she's pointing at with a furrowed brow. "What are you talking about?" And a moment later, she sighs and pulls her daughter closer to her. "There's no one there."

No one?

Lucy stares at her mother with incredulity. A firm, 'but he's right over there' is on the tip of her tongue, but it dies out before she can say it.

Her attention had shifted from the man for just a second, but apparently, that is exactly how much time he needed because when she turns to point at him once more, he's gone.

* * *

The second time comes much later, about six months after that fated stroll.

This time, it happens on her birthday.

She is turning ten and the party her mother and father have thrown for her in their garden is amazing.

She wanted to be a princess today, and she'd made it clear to all her friends back at school when she'd handed them their invitation cards. She's really glad everyone has come dressed to fit the theme.

Across the garden, she can see a group of girls and boys dressed up as royalty just like her. And even the rebellious few from her class have joined in on the celebrations by dressing up in honor of the evil witches and warlocks they're always reading about.

"Do you like your present?" Her mother smiles as she casually folds blue the wrapping paper Lucy had bunched up in her hurry to open up her gift.

The wide grin that breaks out on her face is enough to brighten up even the most darkest room. "I love it!"

She pulls up the silver necklace from its case and lifts it up to her eye level. The metal looks polished, and the blue sapphire on the pendant gleams bright and alluring under the incandescent light of the room. The only thing that ruins its beauty is the tiny fissure running across the jewel's surface.

"But I think it's a little cracked."

Her father, who is almost never out of his study when he's home, places a hand over her shoulder. "That's because it's old." He smiles and Lucy thinks that he looks much better with it than the frowns and worry lines he's always sporting. "This has been in our family since the first generation. I was planning to give it to you when you were older but due to... recent events, your mum and I thought it would be best if you had it now."

"And believe it or not, it's got magical powers." Lucy's mother winks, her smile widening when her daughter's honey-colored eyes light up with excitement. "If you're a good girl, I just might tell you the story that goes with that necklace one of these days."

Lucy notices her father roll his eyes, but neither she nor her mother call him out on his skepticism. He's always been a nonbeliever anyway.

Magic was real. End of story.

"Hey Lucy, it's your turn to pin the tail on the donkey!" She hears one of her friends call. It's probably Gray.

He's her best friend, and quite possibly the only child that doesn't seem to be scared of yelling at her in her father's presence. Most people she knows, both children and grownups alike, fear him as if he were death itself.

Bidding her parents goodbye, she kisses each of them on the cheek before running off to her friends. She's barely conscious of the fact that she places the piece of jewelry around her neck before she starts her turn in the game.

It burns a little when it makes contact with her skin. It's not too hot to hurt, but is obvious enough to be annoying, almost like a mild sting. She doesn't dwell on it for long though because the metal turns cool once more, and the discomfort is soon forgotten.

The real strangeness happens at night, when Lucy is in her room, just a little while before she goes to bed.

She's waiting for her mother to come kiss her goodnight, just like she always does, but she seems to be running late. She figures it's probably because she's handing out cleaning orders to the staff now that the party has ended.

In a moment of childishness, Lucy revels in her mother's absence and starts jumping on her bed. It begins as an activity to help pass the time but the longer she spends bouncing on the springy mattress, the more she loses herself in the fun.

"You really shouldn't be doing that."

Lucy stops at the sound of the new voice.

It isn't familiar, not even by a long shot. And try as she might, she can't seem to find where it came from. She jumps off the bed, about to run and call out for help because that's what her parents always tell her to do if a stranger talks to her, when she spots a figure leaning against her window sill.

Lucy stands there, confused. She had already forgotten about the strange pink-haired man she'd seen the other day, so seeing him in her room of all places is definitely unsettling.

"W-Who are you?" Lucy has no idea where her courage has come from. It's almost like something inside her is pushing away her fear.

She admits it's strange, but somehow, she _just knows_ that the stranger standing a few feet away from her will not – can not? – hurt her.

The man raises a brow at her question. His expression is that of shock rather than irritation as he stares at her. He opens his mouth to say something, but shuts it immediately, almost like he's afraid.

"You can see me?" He finally asks.

Lucy blinks. She doesn't understand why the man sounds so nervous, so scared. It's not like he's invisible or something.

"Of course I can." She crosses her arms over her chest, the blue jewel of her necklace slightly brushing at her lower arm. Before she can say anything else though, the man grins.

"You can see me." He repeats. This time the statement is directed more to himself rather than Lucy. There's a shadow of a smile playing on his lips, and the joy emanating from him is more than enough to make the child lose any remaining shreds of weariness.

"Are you okay?" She jumps off her bed and approaches him with a worried expression. Her steps are slow and hesitant. She knows she's not supposed to talk to strangers but the man has been chanting 'you can see me', 'she can see me' and 'oh God, finally, after all this time' for so long that she is thoroughly convinced he's not right in the head.

And as if to confirm her suspicions, he pushes past the window and heads up to her, his lips stretched out in a massive grin.

Lucy resists the urge to step back. She can tell he's excited, but for the life of her she can't figure out why.

With measured steps, he strides up to her and reaches out his hand in an attempt to touch her head.

He suddenly stops halfway.

He looks thoughtful, and slightly terrified as he stares at the space between his fingers and her golden curls. Lucy has no idea what it is that's going on in his mind at that moment.

Shaking his head, he draws back.

He still smiles at Lucy, but instead of joy, all she can glean from it is pain.

Now, without his jovial chanting, the room becomes deadly silent, and filled to the brim with tension and apprehension.

The silence itself isn't all bad, Lucy decides. Because during that time, she examines her strange guest. He's tall, probably around the same height as her father, and his chin-length pink hair appears wild and untamable. She almost wishes she could touch it just to see how it would feel.

What really shocks her though are his eyes. Dark orbs, which were filled with excitement and joy not so long ago, now look empty. And the faux grin he's managed to maintain up to that point only seem to make it even more sad. It's almost like he's trying to hide the underlying currents of pain and sadness inside him with a simple smile.

Lucy frowns.

She doesn't know why, but all she does know is that he's sad, and he's pretending to be happy- and for whatever reason it is, she doesn't like that one bit. He may have been weird when he was repeating himself, but at least he'd been in a good mood at that time.

Now he just looks pitiful.

"Stop looking like that." She finds herself saying. Initially, this doesn't seem like the best thing to say to someone in pain, but soon enough it proves to have been exactly what was needed.

"What are you talking about? What's wrong with how I look?" Irritation flashes through his eyes, but the mirth dancing behind it renders his pointed stare useless. His melancholy seems to have faded though. It's still there, but it's no longer as prevalent as it was before.

Lucy's lips twitch. She's glad the desolate expression on the man's face has disappeared. "Everything. You look like someone killed your puppy."

Choosing not to respond to her barb, he raises a brow. "You're pretty brave for a kid. Haven't your parents told you not to speak to strangers or something?" He moves away from her and heads to the three-seated couch across the room. "You should be running by now. Or screaming. Heck, I'd even understand it if you threw in a few tears for good measure when you run up to your mommy and daddy." He then plops himself onto the sofa, leisurely stretching his legs and crossing them over the remaining seat cushions.

Lucy scowls, partly because the man has changed the subject, but mostly because he's insinuating that she's some sort of baby. "I know what I should be doing." She counters, her cheeks flush in embarrassment. "And I'm not a kid! I'm ten years old! I can handle creepy strangers by myself."

The man regards her coolly, staring at her in a manner similar to the one he'd have used had he been eyeing a speck of dust on his black waistcoat. Once he's done sizing her up, he smirks. "First up, I'm not a creepy stranger, I'm a ghost. There's a difference. And second-"

Lucy scoffs, effectively cutting him off. "You? A ghost?"

She can't stop the giggles that escape her.

"Of course!" He sits up in an effort to sound more serious. "You think I'm lying or something?"

"Everybody knows ghosts don't exist." She narrows her eyes at him. He's clearly trying to trick her. "You're just making that up to scare me."

Before he can get a word in to defend himself, the bedroom door cracks open and a maid scurries in. She is a short, plump woman, with a square-shaped face sporting a glimmer of wrinkles and crows feet. She isn't old by any means, but she is approaching her middle-ages so Lucy supposes that's why she can spot gray streaks on her long purple ponytail.

"I'm sorry Miss Lucy but your mother won't be able to come here tonight. She isn't feeling very well." She relays solemnly, her black eyes filled with sadness. "She told me to inform you that she'll tell you the story she promised tomorrow once she's feeling better."

Lucy nods in response. This isn't out of the ordinary. Her mother has been having these sickness episodes for over three months, always bouncing back up after a few good hours of rest. She rarely worries about them anymore.

As far as she's concerned, her mother is going to be fine soon enough.

The maid is about to leave when something strikes Lucy as odd. Why hadn't her maid said anything about the strange man?

"Hey Spetto," she calls out as she jumps onto her bed and burrows under her blanket. Her bedtime passed by about two hours ago, so she might as well catch up on whatever sleep she can attain at such a late time. "Does my room look strange to you?"

Spetto casts a glance around the area. "No. Nothing out of the ordinary... Except for that box of crayons poking out from under your bed, if that's what you mean."

Lucy stares at her, mouth hanging wide open. "Really? There's a pink-haired man sitting on the sofa and you notice the crayons under my bed?"

Now the maid looks concerned. "What are you talking about Miss Lucy? There's no one there."

The words echo inside her mind, reminding her of the incident that occurred when she'd been walking with her mother six months ago- an incident which she had fought so hard to suppress because she'd thought it was all just a figment of her imagination.

Back then, her mother hadn't seen him either.

"Now that I think about it, you look very tired, Miss Lucy. You should rest. Just because tomorrow's is a Saturday doesn't mean you should stay up late." Spetto turns to leave but stops midway. "You should also take off that necklace before you go to bed. You could damage it in your sleep." And after imparting that piece of advice, the woman leaves.

She peers at Lucy one more time, concern flitting through her slightly wrinkled features before the door clicks shut and blocks her from view.

Blinking, Lucy sits up and turns her head back to the man sprawled on her couch.

"Told you." He says. He's beaming at her, triumph and humor seeping out of him in waves.

Sinking back into her blankets, Lucy shoots him a defiant glare. "I still don't believe you."

His smile drops. "Why the hell not?"

Lucy doesn't answer right away. She mulls over the question for quite a while before she shifts onto her side and faces her guest. "Ghosts are evil... but you're not. At least I don't think so." The last part comes out as a whisper. She has to resist the urge to bury her face into her pillow because of the blush creeping up her cheeks.

The man stands up from his seat and walks up to her, his gait as relaxed as it could possibly be.

"What makes you think I'm not evil?" The humor in his countenance has fled, replaced by genuine curiosity. "As far as you know, I could be a very dangerous... creature sent here to hurt you."

He smiles a little to soften his comment, but the point remains the same.

They are alone, and even if they weren't, no one could see him. Regardless of the situation, he _could_ hurt her.

Lucy shrugs. Despite the veiled threat, she doesn't feel like she's in danger. "Then why haven't you?"

He remains quiet, lips thinned, unable to answer.

Feeling strengthened by his silence, Lucy stands up on her bed. She wobbles a bit at first, trying to resist the bouncy mattress.

She succeeds soon enough, and stands up straight. She's happy that at least from that height, she doesn't look too short when compared to him.

"You were afraid of touching me," says Lucy. "If you were a bad guy, you'd have jumped at the chance to do so." She takes a step forward, hesitantly. "Honestly, I just think you're too scared to be evil."

Scared of what, she has no idea. But she hadn't sensed any malice from him when they'd interacted earlier, only fear.

Besides, don't creatures like him usually give off a few telltale signs if they aren't on the good side?

Slowly, she draws her hand out and reaches for his. Her motions are cautious, almost as if she fears he might draw back like he'd done before.

Instead of making contact, her slender fingers pass through his palm, meeting no resistance as if he were merely air.

She scowls at this, but she doesn't pull back.

After all, she's never been one to give up just like that.

Before she tries it again however, she shifts her attention back to the man's face and almost reels back at the sight that greets her. The desolate look has returned, and this time, he really looks like he's about to tear up.

Lucy suddenly feels sorry for him.

Not many things can make can make a grown man cry so this – whatever it is – must be very serious.

This of course brought about several questions of their own. If he really is a ghost – which she obviously doesn't believe – then how long has he gone without physical contact? When was the last time he'd been touched by another human being?

When was the last time he'd spoken to anyone else besides her?

Steeling herself, she pushes her sorrow aside and reaches up to him once more. She's not a hundred percent sure about what happens next because her hand passes through just like before, but she could almost swear that she'd felt the warm lick of flame on her fingers this time around.

The gasp that escapes his lips is music to her ears. She's glad she's not the only one who felt the change.

"How did you do that?"

She shakes her head and stares back at him, her wide eyes showing that she's just as confused as he is. "I don't know."

Tentatively, she takes a step closer and tries to touch him again.

But unlike the last two times, the man makes a move of his own as well. Walking up to the edge of the bed, he raises his hand and meets Lucy's halfway.

They can both see it in each others eyes, the burning hope, the unyielding determination. Lucy can tell he needs this to work more than she does, but she'd be lying if she denied the heady rush of excitement she's feeling just by the possibility of succeeding in something he was sure was impossible.

They make for each others hands at the same time, and when they make contact, the electric buzz that passes through them is enough to make them pull back.

"Did you..." The man trails off as he rubs his palm. He's smiling, though there's a hint of disbelief and wonder in his tone. "Did you feel that too?"

"Yeah." Is all Lucy manages to say. The electrocution was unexpected to say the least, but she has to admit that although the jolt was surprising, it was not entirely unpleasant. "What was that?"

The man doesn't seem to hear her, probably because he's still feeling giddy from the whole experience. Only when Lucy repeats the question does he answer.

"That was- wow." He runs a hand through his shaggy mane. "Okay, I don't really know how I can say this without freaking you out but here it goes... Kid, we're bonded."

Lucy falls back onto the bed, her legs having become weak from the news. Bonded? To a – fine, she admits it – ghost? She's not exactly sure what he means by it, but the seriousness of his expression is what scares her the most. "What?"

Ignorant of her rising panic, he shrugs callously and continues, "I mean, that starting today, you and I are pretty much stuck together."

Lucy sputters.

He ignores her. "I know it's weird, but it's necessary. For me that is." He moves towards the bed and settles right next to her. His arm brushes against Lucy's but there's no current that shocks either of them this time.

Eying her from his peripheral, he shoots her a grin. It's definitely the most honest one he's flashed her all night. "If it makes you feel better, just think of me as your guardian angel or something."

Lucy shifts on her spot, but she doesn't move away. As she draws her legs and hugs them to her chest, she can't help but feel very, very small. She doesn't even know this man, yet he's already claiming that he's going to be stuck to her forever?

How could her life have possibly turned this confusing in less than an hour?

"My guardian angel?" She asks, gaze transfixed on her toes. "How's that possible? You're just a nameless ghost who-"

"Nameless?" He looks positively enraged. "Kid, the name's Dragneel. Natsu Dragneel. Don't you forget it."

She whispers the name to herself, trying it out to see how it feels as it rolls off her tongue. It feels different, odd.

She supposes it's either a very old or foreign name.

After that exchange, nothing else happens.

They remain silent, and a semblance of peace covers the room as the both of them stew in their own thoughts. The quiet is only broken when Lucy sighs. "Hey, Natsu?"

"Yeah."

"When are you leaving?"

"When am I-? What the-?" He's glaring at her, but Lucy can tell he's joking. "I'm your guest. You don't go around asking guests when they're going to leave! That's just rude."

"But I want to sleep." She whines.

"Then sleep. What's stopping you?"

She can't believe he's even asking.

"You are!" She glares and points an accusatory finger at him. "How do you expect me to fall asleep with a ghost lying on my bed?" During her tirade, he finger accidentally pokes his bicep.

She instantly pulls back.

He feels like a furnace.

Natsu doesn't seem to notice her reaction. "What part of we're stuck together don't you get?"

"I can't sleep with you staring at me." More whining. She even groans a little in hopes of annoying him.

It doesn't work. "Tough luck."

Lucy's about to complain some more when a brilliant idea strikes her. Moving off the bed, she heads to the sofa and pulls out the remote from underneath one of the pillows. Once she's sure she has Natsu's attention, she turns on the TV and lowers the volume so as to not attract attention from outside her room.

"Fine. If you're not going to leave, then here," She switches to a random channel that's showing an action movie. "Watch this until I wake up." She's only mildly aware of Natsu brushing past her as he heads towards the television.

She's about to walk back to her bed, but a question pops up in her mind. "Hey, how come I can see you now?"

"We're bonded. What part of that didn't you get?" His eyes stay glued to the television even as he speaks.

"No, I mean before the whole bonding thing." Lucy explains. "And how come I wasn't able to see you before today?"

"Oh, easy." Finally, Natsu's attention snaps away from the television. Well, partially anyway.

"This here," He says, tapping the jewel on her necklace absent-mindedly. "Is enchanted." He doesn't continue because apparently, he thinks those few words are enough of an explanation.

Without bothering to see if Lucy has understood him or not, he turns back to the movie. There's a scarred man yelling profanities and shooting at the police on the screen.

Lucy pays them no mind.

She just glares at the ghost. "Really? That's it?"

"Yeah. What more do you want to hear?" He sounds annoyed. Lucy thinks it's probably because she's now standing in front of him, blocking the screen from view.

Sensing that she won't budge unless he tells her what she wants to hear, he lets out a sigh.

"A long time ago, I got cursed yada yada yada." He begins unceremoniously. "A powerful mage charmed this gem. According a prophecy or something, one of the her descendants was going to be able to see me. I guess that's you. This was made so it could help me make contact with that person et cetera, et cetera. Okay, now move over." He tries to shove her away, but she sidesteps his hand.

"Oh, come on. Wasn't that enough?" Natsu cries out.

Lucy shakes her head.

If anything, his farce of an explanation just brought forth a whole slew of other questions, but one glance at him tells her that that's the best she'll receive that night.

Reluctantly, she moves away from the screen.

Against her better judgment, she stares at him from over her shoulder as she shuffles to her bed. He's reclining on her sofa, arms tucked behind his head, legs crossed on the cushions, and he's staring unblinkingly at the screen.

Lucy smiles.

For a cursed ghost, he's pretty laid back.

She's already on her bed, laying on her pillows, curled deep into her covers, when another question nags her. "Hey, Natsu?"

"Yeah." He turns to face her, movie temporarily forgotten. He's probably noticed the uncertainty in her tone.

"You said something about a prophecy, right? Does that mean... Am I..." Lucy struggles to find the right way to phrase her question. She's a little terrified at what the answer will be, but most of all, she hopes to God he won't be annoyed at her once she asks. He'd already looked like he was at the edge of his patience.

"Just spit it out Lucy." The encouraging smile on his face is what gives her the strength to continue. "I won't bite."

She laughs a little at his impromptu joke, and this seems to be all that she needed to gain confidence.

"Why am I the only one who can see you?"

Natsu doesn't answer her right away. He stares at a distance, deep in thought, undoubtedly trying to find the best way to answer her.

Lucy figures that whatever's on his mind must be really complicated.

The seconds tick by, then finally, he stares at her once more.

Languidly, his lips stretch into a humorless smile. His dark eyes lock on hers, his gaze deep, and filled with sorrow.

"Because, you're the only one who can break my curse."

* * *

 **A/N** : I guess I'm done for now. I wanted this to be short- about three or four chapters so... yeah. Let's see where this takes us.

I'm aware that there are some things that are a little unclear. But don't worry, they'll all be worked out in future chapters.

On another note, I tried my best to make Lucy believable- well, as believable as can be given the whole plot of the story. I have a ten year old cousin, and I guess I sort of used her as a template for Lucy's thinking process :)

Anyways, until next time guys!

Please don't forget to leave a review before you go :)


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N** : Hey! Thank you so much for the wonderful response guys! Like seriously, the alerts, the faves... and most importantly, the reviews! You guys rock!

Remember when I said this might be a three chaptered story? I guess plans change.

I'd like to give a huge shout out to:

 **Sara lovelymusic** , **BloodyBullets648, Guest** (I'm so glad you thought it was nice ^^), **BerberMantis** , **Dark Shining Light** , **alexandryte** (I already sent a reply to your account :D ), **hitokori** **midnight** , **diviarockstar** , **Mrs Limited Edition, ArouraJean** (I'm so happy this caught your interest. I hope you stay tuned for more!) and **FairyTailF.T**.

(Anonymous reviews receive responses here while the review replies for those with accounts were sent by PM ^^ )

Once again, thanks! Since I don't want to keep you guys any longer, let's just get on with the story...

 **Summary:** "Why am I the only one who can see you?" Languidly, his lips stretch into a humorless smile. His dark eyes lock on hers, his gaze deep and filled with sorrow. "Because, you're the only one who can break my curse." NaLu Modern AU

 **Warnings:** Language, Romance, Supernatural, Humor, Adventure, Modern AU, NaLu, Ghost!Natsu, BAMF!Natsu, Fluff, mentions of JudeXLayla.

 **Disclaimers:** Currently, no. I don't own Fairy Tail. But just you wait...

* * *

After essentially living with Natsu for three weeks straight, Lucy has come to realize that having a ghost constantly hovering over her shoulder isn't as scary as one would think. Well, there is the fact that she can't tell anyone else about him since they might think she's crazy; and of course there's also the tiny little detail where she can't ever remove the necklace – _you won't be able to see me when you take it off, Lucy_ – which is completely annoying but still manageable. In fact, after wearing it for almost a month nonstop, the jewelry's presence has become barely noticeable.

Those things aside, everything else is great. Sure, he can be a little annoying at times; like when he makes inappropriate comments- he'd called her pet, Plue, a freakish mutant dog-thing that first time she'd shown her puppy to him. But if she's honest, his vice isn't all bad since his comments sometimes make her laugh.

And even when they don't, he always redeems himself one way or another.

A good example would be when she's in the bathroom, relieving herself, or taking a bath. He never follows her or walks in on her at those private times, even when she forgets to tell him not to enter. She hasn't gone up to him and outright said it, but she's certainly glad that he's respectful of her boundaries.

Another one of his attributes worthy of praise includes his willingness to help her. No matter the time, he'll always stop what he's doing so as to assist her with her studies. He may have a snarky, idiotic comment on the tip of his tongue every single second, but at least he helps her out with the things pertaining to school. Sometimes, he even goes as far as reading through her class notes, as well as doing her homework with her.

Speaking of homework.

"Hey, what kind of policies had King Toma implemented during his reign?" Lucy asks, hurriedly jotting down the few answers she can think up from her head. After all the time they've spent together, she has come to realize that her resident ghost is exceptionally good in history. "And what effects did his decisions have on the citizens of the kingdom of Fiore?"

Natsu, who is watching a movie about dragons and wizards and magical kingdoms, doesn't shift his attention from what he's doing either. "Why the heck are you asking me? You have three text books with you. Read them."

"I will, later. I just want to hear it from you first. After all, your points are always so much better." Though she's thrown in the complement just to draw him to her aid, she mentally admits it's true. His versions, which may be a little too crude for her tastes at times, are always more interesting than the information written in her books.

"You do realize that complementing me so I can help you with your homework is some form of manipulation right?" Despite saying this, he walks up to her desk and takes a look at her notes from over her shoulder. A small smile plays on his lips as he peruses through the answers. "Animal cruelty abolition. Good. Irrigation systems. Yeah. Tax reduction. Yes. Supporting women rights. Sounds about right since he was the first in his line to appoint a female heir."

He pauses, reading through her paper once more. "You know, this is a pretty good essay. Though you kind of forgot to mention the part where the good for nothing bastard–" _Oh, God_ , Lucy thinks, _isn't he talking about a king?_ "–ordered the death of over 500 girls in the kingdom because he suspected they were witches."

Lucy gasps. "Really?"

"Nah, he just screwed my father over during a bet." He scans her notes one last time. "Oh, and while you're at it, say something about his gambling problem. I'm sure airing his dirty secret for all the world to see will have him rolling in his grave." He pauses, as if an idea has just occurred to him, "Speaking of graves, what do you say we go toilet paper his tomb. Or raid it. Or egg the place- I'm not really sure right now but I'm open for suggestions." The smile on his face is nothing short of pure evil.

'You're a monster,' she wants to say, but like the good little girl she's been raised to be, she opts for something a little safer. "You knew the king?"

He shrugs. "Something like that."

"Wait, are you serious?"

He shrugs again in response and turns around, probably having lost interest in the discussion already. "It's not really that important anyway. The monarchy is gone. Whether or not I knew the man doesn't matter." He then heads back to his 'zone' – that's what he has, for some unfathomable reason, decided to name the area of her room where both the sofa and television are located – and continues with his movie, Lucy and her homework having been long since forgotten.

Oh well, at least the television keeps him busy when she's at school.

Focusing back on her work, Lucy opens up one of her text books and begins to highlight the points she considers important. She's already on the fifth paragraph when she is hit by a very startling realization; King Toma E. Fiore had started his rule during the latter half of the sixteenth century, all the way into the early decades of the seventeenth.

If Natsu had truly known him as he claims he had, then he has to be at least 400 years old.

One day, when she's older, Lucy will look back at this moment and really feel sorry for the ghost, the implications of the curse finally dawning on her. But for now, all she does is grin.

Living for four hundred years?

That's definitely cool.

* * *

"It's not as bad as you might think."

"No."

"It's gonna be fun."

"No."

"But-"

"No."

"Natsu." Lucy is well aware that later, once this whole situation has passed, she'll sincerely come to regret how desperate she sounds. Talk about whining.

"Seriously," the frustration in his voice is almost palpable. "What part of no don't you understand?"

His harsh tone doesn't deter her at all.

"Come on, man up. It's just a camping trip." She tries to pull him up from his position on the couch. However, her efforts don't really bear much fruit. "Besides, you were the one complaining about being bored yesterday."

She remembers how shocked she'd been when she'd come home only to find an angry ghost ranting and raving about a crazy maid who'd entered her room and turned off the television while he'd been watching a very touching movie about hitmen and drug dealers.

The choice of movie aside, she truly feels sorry for him.

Unlike her, he can't simply grab the remote since his hands just pass through anything and anyone that isn't Lucy, or _on_ Lucy at that given moment. If he wants to watch something, someone else has to be the one to operate the devices.

Not being able to touch anything or anyone? Ouch.

"Yes, I was." He nods in agreement to her statement, and Lucy is forced to come back to the present. "But just because I was bored does not mean I'll happily waste away seven days of my afterlife in a forest surrounded by snotnosed brats. God knows I can barely tolerate being around them at your school. Why the hell do you think I stay here rather than go to school with you during weekdays?"

Lucy opens her mouth, about to tell him that camping can be a fun and wondrous experience when a knock sounds on her door. Once she calls out a quick 'Come in,' Spetto enters her room and informs her that she's not to see her mother that morning, even if it's to tell her goodbye.

Those are her father's orders.

Though a little disappointed, she fakes a smile and sends the maid off with the words, 'It's okay. I'll just talk to her when she's better.'

When she hears the door click shut, she releases the deep breath she's been holding.

She's just been informed that she's not supposed to disturb - though the maid had been kind enough to use the words 'see' and 'say goodbye'- her mother that day since the medications the doctors have given her are a little too strong, and she really has no idea how she should react to that.

She really hates it when adults treat her like a child. Sure, she is ten, but that does not mean that she doesn't understand what's going on. He mother is sick- terribly so at that, and for some reason, nothing the doctors ever do can completely cure her, but so what?

Her mother is the strongest woman she knows. There's no way she'd let a measly illness beat her without putting up a fight.

Yes. That's it.

That's definitely it.

But still, she falters. Saying it to herself and believing it are two separate things. What she needs now is oral confirmation, preferably from someone else.

Gnawing at her bottom lip, she faces the ghost. "Natsu, do you.." Much to her consternation, her voice is barely above a whisper, but she's glad it hasn't cracked. The last thing she needs to do right now is cry. "Do you think my mom's going to be okay?"

He doesn't answer her right away, preferring to scrutinize her instead. And normally, she would be fidgeting, but with the sudden heaviness in her chest, she can't bother herself to worry about anything else, let alone his gaze.

Without warning, he stands up. His hand drops to her head and he ruffles her hair, not seeming to care about messing up the sunny strands. "What's the matter? Don't you have faith in your mum?"

Lucy's eyes widen. "Of course I do!"

"Then quite your worrying." He smiles encouragingly at her. A second later, his face scrunches up as if he's warring with himself over something. Then finally, he beams. "So, how long did you say this trip was going to be?"

With his words, Lucy's mood instantly brightens.

She doesn't even realize that he has completely dodged her question.

* * *

The camping trip, if it can even be called that, is nothing but a disaster. Whoever has managed to convince the school to combine students from three separate grades in one compound seriously needs to have his psyche evaluated.

The bus ride alone has been hell. And judging by the number of fights that have broken out, it is a miracle no one's been critically injured.

Lucy wonders how students who clearly hate each other so much could have signed up for the same camping trip. Is there some higher force using them all as a form of amusement?

"What the heck is wrong with you?!"

"I'm older, so I clearly need the most space."

"Like hell you do! We were here first!"

Excellent. Just when she thinks she'll finally garner a moment of peace at the campsite, another fight has to start.

Trying her level best to quell her anger and frustration, she sighs.

She's been trying to tune out the argument between the three students for the past fifteen minutes to no avail. She's friends with two of them, Gray and Loki, but she can't say the same for the third, Karen. All she knows about her is that the girl thinks she can boss them around just because she's a year older than them.

However, at this point, she really can't pick any sides. She's just so mad that she isn't quite sure who she's supposed to be supporting anymore. All she wants is for the fight to end.

Where's an adult when you need one?

"Oh, you were totally right Lucy. This is so much fun." Natsu looks bored out of his mind. She is not sure if it's his harsh glare or sarcastic tone that annoys her the most. And as if his negativity isn't enough, he growls at her in frustration. "I wish those damn kids would at least draw some blood. This stopped being funny hours ago."

She doesn't respond, despite how much she wants to tell him to shut up, to remain quiet if he has nothing positive to say. There are too many people around, and yelling at what would appear to be thin air in their eyes is not really something she's looking forward to.

There's no need for her to be known as the freaky blonde that talks to ghosts.

"Hey, wanna ditch these idiots?" A rowdy brunette asks, casually slinging an arm around her shoulders. Lucy is glad for the distraction. She has been waiting for something to pull her attention away from the fight as well as the brooding ghost glaring daggers at her bickering peers.

One quick look behind her classmate assures her that the rest of their friends, Levy and Lisanna, are not far behind.

"We're not supposed to wander off, Cana." Lucy's attempt at refusing is halfhearted at best. She already knows she's going to say yes anyway. "We'd be in huge trouble if we got caught."

Cana smirks. "Who says we're gonna get caught? Besides, her sister," she jabs a finger at Lisanna's direction, "and Erza, will be back any minute now. If any of us want to live, we better get out of here fast. Those two won't care if we were actively involved in this fight or not."

Lisanna nods vigorously, her cropped, silver locks bouncing along to keep up with her movement. "Mira-nee won't show us mercy." She's the youngest of the group, being one year behind them, but at that moment, no one can refute the truth of those words.

Lucy, who is in pretty good terms with Erza, thinks of trying to defending her classmate's compassion. Before she can say anything however, two familiar, very furious voices cut into the clearing in unison.

"What the heck is going on here?"

Lucy will be eternally grateful for the speed at which her friends had pulled her into the bushes.

Distantly, she hears Natsu yell something not being able to stay there anymore. She doesn't pay him much thought.

She'll just ask him about it once she comes back.

* * *

Night has fallen.

Twinkling stars dot the dark, velvet sky, and there's not a single cloud in sight. Had Lucy not been seething in rage, she might have even enjoyed the beauty and purity of it all. The reason for her anger?

Natsu.

She's returned from hiding not so long ago only to find him gone.

Her chest hurts, pain and disappointment welling up inside her. It could be her naïveté talking but she really hadn't expected him to ditch her just like that.

He's promised – well, not exactly, but still – to stay around for the whole trip so obviously, she is well within her rights to conclude that his sudden departure is the worst thing he's ever done to her.

But can she really blame him? He has always been quite open about his distaste for her peers and their childish antics- which is a pretty huge surprise all on its own since he acts like a child ninety percent of the time anyway.

"What are you grouchy about?" Gray asks, pulling her out of her thoughts. He sits next to her on the log she's acquired, and he's probably not even aware that he's unbuttoning his shirt. Normally, Lucy would just brush him off, saying that it's nothing serious, but he looks more concerned than usual. This alone makes her feel worse than she had before. They are best friends, but lately, she hasn't been acting like one, and they both know it. She's just lucky he hasn't called her out on it.

"You know, if it's about your mom then don't worry. Aunt Layla's gonna be fine." Gray is unfastening his pants now, his shirt having long been tossed into the shrubbery behind them.

Lucy doesn't even bat an eye at his behavior.

She does realize however that her friend has undoubtedly confused her anger at Natsu with sadness for her mother. Since she doesn't feel the need to correct him, or yell at him to put his clothes on, she simply nods back. In a way, she really is thankful for the reassurance.

Gray then tosses his pants over his head. They land on a tree branch but she doesn't think he notices. "You'll see her up and about in no time- and when she is, you'll feel stupid for worrying over it."

Lucy chokes back a sob. Gray has no idea how much she needed to hear that, and as a matter of fact, neither did she.

Shuffling closer to him so that their arms are brushing side by side, she flashes him a small smile and he gives her hand a quick squeeze before letting go.

There is no need for anymore words.

Smiling, they both turn back to their fellow campers.

Lucy proceeds to listens to Levy with half an ear as she narrates what appears to be a scary story.

"-and when she walked into the kitchen, she screamed. For standing next to the counter, gripping the very same knife she'd used to behead him, was the ghost of her husband." Levy has quite the talent with words, if the look of terror on the other children's faces is anything to go by.

Lucy is mildly disappointed that she doesn't feel scared as well. She will forever blame Natsu, with his brusque personality and general happy-go-lucky attitude for ruining her fear of ghosts.

"You're all a bunch of sissies." Karen snarks all of a sudden. It can't be a coincidence that she has chosen to speak only after the adults have entered their respective tents.

She has a slight bruise on her left cheek, and Lucy is left to wonder if it came from Erza and Mira – who miraculously aren't present there either – or Gray and Loki. After all, their heated fight from earlier hadn't looked like it had been destined to end peacefully. "This little pipsqueak here clearly doesn't have her facts straight."

From her left, Gray narrows his eyes. "Keep your opinions to yourself."

Lucy is sure his anger is due to his immense dislike of the green-haired bully, and not because of his friendship with Levy, who looks like she's trying so hard to blend into the background.

Karen says something venomous, but Lucy doesn't pay her any mind. Her attention is fixed on Gray, who's trying to calm himself. He takes in a deep breath before exhaling slowly. "It's not your turn Karen. Take a hike."

As if to spite him, Karen doesn't even glance in his direction. Basking in the crowd's undivided attention, she then continues, "It's pretty much common knowledge that ghosts are the weakest supernatural creatures. Next time, if you want to tell a better story, use something stronger, like a werewolf or a vampire." She snickers. "Or a leprechaun."

Lucy doesn't know what happens to her, but one minute she's sitting next to Gray and the next she's slapping Karen on the face, hard.

"What's you problem?!" The outraged cry from her victim is what snaps her out of her rage induced blindness.

At a loss for words, Lucy stares at Karen, then the rest of the camp. There are looks of approval from a majority of them, but the remaining few either shake their heads, like they expected more from her, or glower at her for being so disrespectful to an upperclassman.

"I..." What can she say? Even she has no idea what has possessed her to act like that. Karen hasn't said anything particularly wrong. All she knows is that a few minutes ago, she had been enraged beyond reason and nothing else had been more important than shutting the girl up. Did her anger have something to do with Karen's comment about ghosts? "I've gotta go."

She doesn't wait for any acknowledgement before making a run for it. Rushing past the campsite, she darts into the trees, not really aware of the danger in her actions.

"Lucy, wait!" Gray stands up to chase after her. "Shit, what happened to my clothes?!"

"Lucy!" Cana isn't so far behind either.

A part of her registers their panicked voices, and the frantic footsteps coming towards her, but she can't bring herself to care. She just wants to be alone. She's too angry, too embarrassed, too confused to face anyone right now.

Increasing her speed, she weaves into the trees, zigzagging further into the darkness until she's completely sure she has lost them.

Eventually, she slows to a halt, listening to any telltale signs that she's still being followed. When all that greets her is quiet, she sighs in relief. _Finally_.

Abruptly, a sob bursts from her and she collapses onto the ground; fat, angry tears streaming down her face. She doesn't really notice the bugs crawling up her legs, or the dirt now caking her trousers. There is a possibility that she could be overreacting, but she knows that without releasing all her bottled up emotions, outbursts like the one at camp will be more than just a onetime thing.

Her mother is dying.

Her father is distancing himself from her- she can't remember the last time they'd spoken face to face since her birthday.

She's pulling away from her best friend only to replace him with a four hundred year old ghost who's only reason for tolerating her company is because they're stuck together.

And now, she's hitting people for indirectly offending said ghost?

Maybe she's the drama queen, not Karen.

Lucy is unaware of how long she sits there on the forest floor, crying her eyes out, but once her sniveling starts to quiet down, she hears the sound of crunching twigs from behind the trees.

Her blood instantly runs cold. "Gray?"

Another crunch.

She gulps. "Cana?"

There's still no response.

"Who's there?" She tries to sound confident, brave even. The only things that betray her are the near-painful hammering in her chest and her rapid breathing.

And when Lucy hears a growl, all the confidence she's tried so hard to fake disappears.

The whole world falls away, fading into the back as the wolf responsible for the noise slowly advances towards her from the shadows. It's too dark, the only source of illumination being the moon, but she can still make out the wolf's demeanor.

It's sharp fangs are barred, and it's body is poised, ready to strike at a moments notice. But the burning hunger gleaming in the wolf's golden eyes is what terrifies her the most, freezing her in her tracks. Beads of sweat trickle down her icy, ashen skin. She trembles, and her heart thrums erratically in her chest as the creature draws nearer. She can hardly bring herself to move, let alone stand up and run.

There's no way she is going to make it out of this alive.

Oh God, what was she thinking running into the woods at this time of night?

The wolf growls once more, eyeing her with the same hungry, predatory gaze she's seen lions sport in animal documentaries. It is sizing her up, she can tell. Waiting for the perfect moment to go in for the kill. After a few moments, the beast decides it's time and lunges at her.

Frozen in shock, all Lucy can do is close her eyes and wish for a quick death.

All of a sudden, another roar; more carnal, more feral, resonates from in front of her.

Upon registering no pain, she opens her eyes and is shocked to find Natsu standing in front of her, shielding her from the wolf. Not paying her any mind, he roars once more and the creature is scurries back to where it came from.

His back is to her so she can't see his face, but she does notice the rigidity in his stance. With the threat gone, he turns to her and inspects her, studying her from head to toe.

"Are you okay?" He asks, crouching down to her level.

Lucy doesn't answer right away because she is too busy gawking at his face. Though they are steadily receding, the skin-colored scales around his eyes give off an aura of mysticism. She can also sense a strange energy emanating from him, pulsing and cackling around him despite being hidden to the naked eye. That fact both mesmerizes and terrifies her. No wonder the wolf ran.

Once she snaps out of her trance, she nods weakly, still not capable of any form of coherent speech. She's shivering, the fear of the whole ordeal not quite out of her system just yet.

"Good." He nods, giving their surroundings a cursory glance. "Now, can you tell me what the hell you're doing out here?"

She can't. But she has to.

Maybe telling someone else about how she feels, what she thinks, will help her cope with everything currently happening in her life.

So, with that in mind, she tells him about every single thing going on in her mind- even about how she thinks him being with her leans more towards tolerance and convenience rather than any actual friendship. She doesn't go very far with that accusation though because he cuts her off immediately. "Is that what you think?"

The shock on his face is almost enough to make Lucy want to take back her words.

"I don't know." She murmurs. She sticks with honesty seeing as that's definitely what Natsu expects from her after such a confession. "Isn't it true though?"

The broad grin that splits Natsu's face is absolutely not what she's expecting.

"Nope." He says, standing up. He holds a hand out to her. "C'mon, let's get you back to camp. I can hear them all the way from over here. It's a total mess back there. Your little stunt pretty much gave your counselors heart attacks."

Lucy doesn't grab onto the proffered hand. Until he gives her a proper answer, she is resigned to not trusting him.

Noticing her reluctance, he pulls her up himself. "You've already been gone for a while now. I need to take you back." And to prove he's not ruling her complaints out, he turns his back to her and crouches to the ground. "Come on, I'll give you a piggyback ride to camp. We can talk about this on the way."

Although she's tempted not to accept his offer, the prospect of a being carried back all the way to camp is enough to temporarily override her anger towards him.

"Fine." She agrees, climbing onto his back rather reluctantly. "But I'm still mad at you."

"Yeah, yeah. I know." He smiles, staring at her from over his shoulder. "Now, come on! I can hear your camp councilors swearing, and seriously, if he keeps this up, I just might-"

"You can hear them all the way from over here?" Lucy queries, effectively cutting him off before he says something she's not supposed to hear. "You can you do that?"

"Yeah. Can't you?" He pauses, then as if something has just occurred to him, he chuckles. "Oh, right. Sorry, ghost powers. I kinda forgot about that."

Lucy really shouldn't be surprised at the level of his stupidity. Only he would forget such a thing.

"What kind of ghost has super hearing?" She tightens her grip around his neck. She hopes Natsu doesn't notice her tone because the incredulity lacing it almost sounds offensive.

"Me." From her position, she can't see his face, but somehow, she knows that he's grinning cheekily. "Besides, I already told you before, I'm cursed. I'm not exactly a normal ghost–" Lucy splutters, wondering just how on earth a ghost can be normal, "–so obviously, I do have one or two powers."

She wants to ask what kind of powers he's talking about, but Natsu redirects the focus of their conversation back to her. "Now, could you please tell me why you think I'm not really your friend?"

Lucy winces.

She has been hoping he'd forget about their earlier conversation.

For a few seconds, she pretends to be busy struggling to find the perfect position on his back. She even clutches onto his shoulders tightly in hopes of appearing convincing but sadly, Natsu doesn't buy into her little act one bit.

"Take your time kid." He almost sounds exasperated. "Just know that once you're done, you have a lot of explaining to do. You're not dodging this that easily."

At a loss of what to say to that, Lucy settles on the first thing that comes through her mind. "You left."

When the words are out, Lucy wants to take them back. She is certain he will scoff at her, tease her and call her a big baby. After all, the answer she's provided isn't a point strong enough to warranty the end of their friendship.

"I didn't think you'd be that bummed about it." Natsu says at last. He even has the decency to sound guilty.

To say Lucy is shocked he hasn't laughed at her will be the understatement of the decade. Steeling herself, she continues, "It's not just that," she feels a blush creeping up her cheeks, and she is immensely glad that Natsu isn't facing her at that time. "I wanted you to come because I thought we could have fun here, together. But all this time, you didn't even look like you wanted to be here and I felt that maybe you'd like camp more after we started actually doing stuff–" Why the heck is her voice cracking? "–and then you just disappeared and I figured I wasn't going to see you again until next week and then I thought that maybe you left 'cause you didn't want to spend time with me and-"

She is barely aware of the fact that she is crying now.

"Whoa. Breathe, Lucy."

Oddly, she doesn't notice Natsu stop.

She doesn't even notice her feet hitting the ground.

She doesn't even notice the steady fingers wiping away her tears.

Only after muscled arms wrap around her, pulling her closer to a strong, hard chest does she snap back to reality.

Great, Natsu probably thinks she's a crybaby now.

"I'm sorry. I don't even know why I'm crying." She mumbles, burying her nose into his scale scarf. Surprisingly, he smells of smoke and pine, with a hint of something else she can't quite identify. Why has this night been nothing but a string of embarrassments for her?

Natsu chuckles, the faint rumble in his chest reverberating all the way through her. "If anyone should be apologizing it's me." He lets go of her, but still remains close enough to pull her in for another hug if need be. "When I left, I didn't think about how you'd feel, and for that, I'm really sorry."

Despite his apology, Lucy still can't directly look into his eyes.

"Lucy? Hey Luce, come on, look at me." He gently lifts her chin so that she's staring at him directly in the eye. "I'm having a really hard time here okay? I can't even remember the last time I had to apologize. Back in my day, I used to settle things with my fists." He smiles, and Lucy finds herself mirroring that simple action. "What I'm saying is, I guess I've been alone for so long that I've forgotten how to care about other people's feelings. I really should have thought about what you would think."

"It's okay."

"No, it's not. Tell you what, we'll head back to camp, and this time, I promise not to complain when your friends do something stupid, no matter how annoying it is."

"Really?"

He huffs out a laugh. "Yeah, yeah. Now let's go before I change my mind."

It's now Lucy's turn to laugh. She bounds up to him, stretching out her arms for a piggyback ride when she remembers something. "Hey, how did you find me anyway?"

"We're bonded." He grins at her, smile wide, eyes closed. Lucy can't help but think that he looks so carefree and young like that. "I'll always find you."

* * *

 **A/N** : I guess that's it for today. I hope you all liked it :)

A few things I thought I should clear up just in case:

Natsu's English is modern despite him being 400 years old because he's watched the world change. There was no point in having him stick with an older speaking style when he can just adapt. You know, kinda like how vampires do it ^^

I tried to make Natsu as little OOC as possible considering his circumstances but I know there are times where he sounds a little more mature than cannon, but that's just due to:

1\. He's been a ghost for over 400 years.

2\. Lucy being very young. Since this fic is in her POV, she obviously sees him as responsible - with a heavy dose of stupid, of course - at her age. I'm not sure how she'll see him once she's older though ;P

Okay, there wasn't much talk on the curse in this chapter since I wanted to put in a little focus on some NaLu bonding, so that once the time skip rolls around (hopefully in the next chapter), their relationship will have a _somewhat_ rich history.

And yeah, since Lucy is still a kid, and I so don't want to venture into pedophilia, I guess we should all just chalk off her interactions with Natsu (for now) as him being friendly/brotherly. So yeah, no lovey-dovey stuff until after the time skip (yes, time skip. That's not a spoiler 'cause we all see it coming).

Anyways, until next time!

Please don't forget to leave a review before you go :) (Believe it or not, they actually motivate me to get off my bum and write hahahah)


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